New pay offer keeps buses on the roads

Bus lanes will still be a no-go area for cars tomorrow.

Aucklanders have been spared a transport meltdown this morning, after the region's largest bus operator yesterday withdrew a lockout notice against its 900 drivers and cleaners.

Unions representing NZ Bus employees also lifted their notice of work bans which the company said would have prevented it running its business reliably or safely for up to 80,000 daily passengers.

A truce reached in talks assisted by a Labour Department mediator has saved them from the immediate prospect of an indefinite period without 70 per cent of the region's buses.

But a dispute over pay and conditions remains unresolved. Union negotiators are expected to relay an amended company offer to their members without recommending for or against it.

The offer will be voted on at a stopwork meeting on Friday, meaning interrupted off-peak bus services between 10am and 1.30pm.

Company operations manager Zane Fulljames said he was pleased full services would run today and tomorrow, but he did not want to discuss the offer.

Combined unions spokesman Karl Andersen said his team wanted to relay the offer to the drivers and cleaners before commenting on it.

It is understood the claim for a 70c increase on hourly wages ranging from $14.05c to $16.75c remains.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority has shelved a contingency plan under which it would have brought in buses owned by other operators to run skeleton services along a handful of routes.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said his organisation was relieved the lockout notice had been lifted.

"The last thing our public transport system needs in Auckland is industrial disruption and locked-out bus drivers.

"When a private investment company buys into public transport services and infrastructure for commercial reasons it should exercise a degree of restraint," he said.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Cameron Brewer said it was great news that the lockout was off, as such action for a sprawling city so dependent on buses "would have ben akin to shutting down some of London's Underground".

Infratil's main shareholder Lloyd Morrison has taken issue with earlier comments by Mr Lee, who said on Monday that it was unhelpful "if someone in a boardroom on The Terrace in Wellington is going to lock out the people driving our buses".

Mr Morrison said in an email to the Herald that he was surprised by Mr Lee's comments "given his track record since assuming control of the Ports of Auckland and his recent support for awarding a contract for integrated ticketing in Auckland to the French defence company Thales".

The Wellington businessman is understood to have been referring to criticism by Mr Lee of a rival ticketing bid by Infratil's Snapper-card subsidiary, and to a long industrial dispute recently settled at the regional council-owned port company.